


Let's Pretend

by mrsseizetheday



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27472522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsseizetheday/pseuds/mrsseizetheday
Summary: Charlie asked you to come with him when he visits his family to pretend to be his girlfriend so his mom would stop setting him up.
Relationships: Charlie Weasley/Reader
Kudos: 97





	Let's Pretend

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing about Romania and I really tried my best. I tried to find a traditional Romanian dish but they were all with meat and I don’t eat meat for three years now so I couldn’t write that. If I googled it correctly draga mea means my love.

In all those years that you had known Charlie you had never seen him beg. So seeing him standing in front of you, holding your hands in his blistered ones and to hear him beg, you weren’t sure if you could refuse him. 

„Why do you even need to bring a date? Why don’t you tell them that you are single and happy?“ You asked. 

He sighed and let go of your hands. „Because my mum doesn’t believe me. And then she tells me all about the women she knew were still single. I guess she thinks that I'll move back if I just find the right woman. One time I was supposed to meet up with my mom but she wasn’t the one turning up. It was a blind date and an awkward one none the less.“ 

You had to admit that this didn’t sound like fun. „And you think that she would believe you when you tell her one month before your visit that you found yourself a girl?“ You took a glass from behind and started filling it with Zaguna. 

„Of course not!“ Charlie scoffed. “But I already told her about a girl I met here and she wanted me to bring her along. And that is why I’m asking you to pretend to be my girlfriend. I swear my family is not as bad as I have pictured them. To be honest I think you’ll get along just fine with at least two of my brothers, if not more. You get food and shelter and I swear we only have to act a minimum.” You pushed the full glass in front of him. 

“And why me? I know about your co-worker at the reservoir. Why not her? I bet your mother would like that more than someone working at the bar?” 

“No, I think you would just work fine with my family. Think about it, please.” You nodded and then he left for the table where the other dragon keepers were enjoying their after-work beer. You saw him sneaking glances at you and before he left, you told him you’d go along with it. He hugged you and you heard some hollering behind him. 

“You owe me, Weasley.” You had to laugh when you saw his relieved expression. 

Time flew by and before you knew it you were standing at the ministry of magic in London and were questioned about your stay in England. You told them you were there for a vacation and after the inspection of your wand you were free to go. Charlies father Arthur would pick you up as he was working at the ministry. He run a little late, but that was okay with you. It just meant more time to inspect everything. 

You recognized Charlies father immediately. He hugged his son and shook your hand and told you that Charlies mother was so excited and that you were already late and should hurry up. You changed a glance with Charlie and followed his father. He walked over to one of the chimneys and you went by floo powder to Charlies childhood home. He had told you stories of him growing up in this house with his many siblings. 

The perks of working at a pub was that you get to know your customers. As it wasn’t a big pub and Charlie and his co-workers came in often you talked a lot with them. There wasn’t much to do out there so you saw them at least once a week to spend their wage. The pub wasn’t in the best shape, but the cosy atmosphere as candles stood everywhere (a nightmare when you had to change them) and the many lights filled it with warmth. The mismatched chairs and the old sofas added to that, but what brought the customers back was the cheap beer and your food. 

“Oh Charlie, it's been so long,” you heard as soon the flames and the soot disappeared. “And you actually brought a girl over. To be honest I thought you would tell me a flimsy excuse.” The woman who talked let go of Charlie and turned towards you. “Come on in, dear. You have to tell me everything about you.” She tugged your hand and led you to another room. “I hope you’re hungry, I prepared dinner.” 

Before you could blink you sat a table in the warm kitchen and food was shoved onto your plate. Charlie put his hand on your arm and squeezed softly and wanted to say something to you until he was interrupted by a tall man who walked into the kitchen. Based on his long hair and the scars on his face you assumed it must be Bill. Charlie stood up immediately and hugged his brother hard, before he turned around and introduced you. 

“Oh, I heard so much about you. Did Mom already tell you, that the two of you will stay at our place? We prepared the guest room and I can’t wait to hear what my dear brother is up to.” Bill said with a nice voice when he shook your hand. 

“I’m so sorry, but we’re full. It’s not that we don’t want you here, I assure you. But we thought it would be better if the two of you slept at Bills place rather than the younger ones.” She touched your shoulder shortly. “And now sit down, Bill. You need to get some meat on you,” she scolded her oldest son and he shot a wink at you before he sat down next to his brother. 

You and Charlie were bombarded with questions and you were grateful when Bill said you should probably leave because you were exhausted from that day and need to rest. You said your goodbye and promised to come back tomorrow and left for the night. 

The atmosphere when you entered shell cottage was completely different. Bill was one of the most laid down people you have met and when you met his wife you noticed that she calmed down more the more time she spent with her husband. 

You were sitting at the table with drinks in front of you when Bill turned towards you. “I do have a question for you,” he said and you gulped. You hoped you wouldn’t mess up. You and Charlie weren’t constantly touching or anything like that and so far it didn’t raise suspicion from his family. “Charlie told me you make the best sweet bread and he talks about it for years. So, would you maybe make some?” 

You let out your breath in relief and laughed a little bit. “Of course. You mean Cozonac. It does take time to make it, but sure. I mean you’re letting me stay here that is the least I can do.” 

“Well, you’re Charlies girlfriend. We couldn’t let you sleep under the bridge,” he laughed and when he called you Charlies girlfriend something warm floated through your body. His hand found yours and squeezed it softly. You talked for a little while longer until you decided to call it a night. Bill showed you your bedroom and whished you a good night. You walked into the small room and stared at the bed in the middle of the room. 

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” Charlie scratched his neck. “I assumed we would stay at the burrow and mom is very strict, so I hadn’t really thought we would have to share a bed. But I can take the couch in the living room and tell them I snore too loud and I didn’t want to disturb you. Actually, I do think that’s not a lie, though.” 

You let out a little lough. It was cute that Charlie was so nervous that he started rambling. “Charlie, calm down. It is a pretty big bed. I think we’ll manage, unless you don’t want to share.” 

“No, no!” he said suddenly with force. “If that’s okay for you, it's okay for me. I’ll go change in the bathroom. I’ll knock before I come back.” He left the room and you stared a second at your bag before you dove in and took out your clothes to sleep in. You changed quickly and waited for your turn in the bathroom. 

“Do you mind if I read a little bit? I’m not used to sleeping early with me having most of the evening shifts,” you asked when you came back. 

“No, of course not. That’s totally fine.” He was already in bed and ‘thankfully’ wore a shirt and you tried not to stare too long at his muscular arms which were covered in freckles and burns. It wasn’t as if you haven’t seen Charlie shirtless before. One evening his friends pestered him to show them his tattoo and after a while he had given in and pulled of his shirt, but you had been on the other side of the room then and hadn’t gotten a closer look. 

You tried to stay as far to the side as you could and started reading until you noticed that Charlie had also a book in his hands. 

“What are you reading?” you asked him. 

“It’s actually a book about dragons. We have that new Peruvian Vipertooth and we have a lot of trouble with her and I’m trying to find some helpful tips here. She’s actually really dangerous but she’s so beautiful,” Charlie rambled. 

“I think you have to take me with you some day,” you said and turned around to look at him. 

“Excuse me?” he looked actually confused as if he didn’t understand what you just said. 

“You’re always talking about dragons and you tell me these great stories and I think it's finally time that you take me to the reservoir to let me see them so I can finally understand why you are so obsessed with them.” 

“I’m sorry if I talk to much about them. I know that it scares people away.” He looked almost a little bit sad. 

“No, I don’t think you understand,” you put your hand on his warm arm. “I find it endearing that you love your job so much that you even do some research when you’re on vacation. You don’t have to be sorry for anything! I mean it, I finally want to see the creatures that amaze you so much.” 

“Oh, okay. Well then I have to take you with me one day,” he said with a light smile on his face. You patted his arm and told him that you’d try to sleep now and that he should just kick you if you started to snore. 

The next few days passed by quickly and you got used to be surrounded by Charlie 24/7 and you weren’t complaining. “Good morning,” you heard George say one morning and his twin followed him into the kitchen of shell cottage. “What are you doing?” 

Fred took a cup from the cupboard and filled it while George studied you. “I'm making Cozonac. Bill asked me if I could make some. I'm making loads you can also have some when its ready,” you promised. You put away the bowl and washed your hands when you asked them what they were doing here. 

“We thought we take you with us to Diagon Alley. Show you the shop and what London has to offer.” 

“Oh yeah. I’ve been dying to see the shop and your products. Seriously I can’t wait to see them! And when we come back, I’m making dinner and we’ll eat the sweet bread for dessert,” you said excitingly. 

“Well, who would have guessed that I had to ask my brother _Charlie_ for girl advice, because I think he might have hit the jackpot,” George looked you up and down with a smirk on his lips. You told him to shut it and went to go changing. 

When you came back you were carrying two bags full of WWW products. George had showed you around and pointed you to Diagon Alley where you spent a lot of your salary. You stopped by the twins to let them know that the offer for dinner still stands and then you made you way back to shell cottage. 

“Are you preparing to feed an army?” Charlie asked when he stepped into the kitchen and took a look at all the pots and pans around you. 

“Actually I am. George and Fred are coming over.” Just as you finished your sentence a loud noise was heard and said twins stood in the kitchen. 

“This smells good, sweetness,” George didn’t miss a beat to stroll over to you, kiss your cheek and lift the lid to look inside one pot. 

“Sweetness?” Charlie asked. 

“Oh, you need to watch out, brother. I think you might have competition,” Fred laughed as he sat down at the table. Two seconds later Charlie slung one arm around your waist and pushed George out of the way. 

“Bugger off,” he told his younger brother and although you were a bit confused about his quick acting you were comfortable in his arms and pressed yourself against his body. After that he didn’t leave your side and helped you preparing the food. Every time George made a comment about you, he threw something at him. You were glad that it was only peppers and not the knives. Bill really had a lough when he came home and noticed the tension that was clearly building. 

That evening you noticed that Charlie was always touching you: a hand on your thigh, your arms or knees touching when you sat next to each other over dinner, him kissing your cheek to thank you for the dinner. While George and Fred left right after dinner Charlie and Bill decided they’d do the dishes so you had a conversation with Fleur. When she asked you questions how you and Charlie got together you squirmed a bit and made an excuse to get to the kitchen. 

The conversation between Charlie and Bill ended as soon as you stepped into the kitchen. You walked over to fill your glass with water and when your eyes fell at the bags you brought with you from Diagon Alley you remembered that you brought a book for him. You pulled it out and put it on the counter as Charlies hands were covered with dish water. “I brought this book for you. They had only two books about the Vipertooth and I recognized you had the other.” 

You noticed the glance Bill shoot at Charlie before he turned around to put away the plates while Charlie came to you, put his soaking hands on your cheek and kissed the corner of your mouth. You didn’t mind the wetness there as a warm spread through your body when he whispered the words: “Thank you, _draga mea_!” He wouldn’t tell you that he owned this book already, because he was so touched that you remembered the dragon he talked about and you went around searching for something that meant so much to him. 

“You’re welcome,” you beamed at him and when he stepped back you giggled as you wiped away the water with the sleeve of your shirt. Bill had left the room without you noticing so you stepped in to finish the dishes with Charlie. 

“I’m glad you asked me to come with you,” you said while you put away the cutlery. “I have a really good time and I’m a little bit sad that tomorrow is our last day here.” 

“You can come with me the next time I’m visiting,” Charlie said while he dried off his hands and leant against the counter. “I like spending time with you and actually I wanted to ask, if you want to go on a date with me.” You noticed that every time Charlie got nervous he started scratching his neck. “Like a real one without pretending.” 

“Oh Charlie, we don’t have to pretend anything. I love spending time with you and I would love to spend even more with you in Romania. And if I remember correctly you had already promised me a date. You wanted to show me your dragons, remember?” 

Charlie was speechless. You considered him showing you dragons as a date? He didn’t know what to say, but he felt the need to say something back right now or you might go. And he wasn’t sure if he could let you go. He did the next best thing that came to his mind and with two steps he stood in front of you and pressed his lips against yours. You let out a light giggle and then you pressed your lips against his and slung your arms around his waist. 

“So, it’s a date then?” you asked with a smirk on your face when you parted. 

“Blimey, one or hundred or as many as you want,” he answered and gave you a peck.


End file.
